Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

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Middleweight

1. Robert Whittaker (20-4)

An emergency hernia surgery forced Whittaker to withdraw from his scheduled title defense against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 234. Even more disappointing, that’s twice that “The Reaper” has been forced to pull out of headlining championship fights in his home country of Australia (An injury also forced him out of a proposed matchup with Luke Rockhold at UFC 221.) Whittaker has won nine bouts in a row but is still awaiting his first official belt defense, as his UFC 225 triumph over Yoel Romero was a non-title bout due to Romero missing weight. A title unification bout with interim champ Israel Adesanya will take place at UFC 243 on Oct. 5.

2. Yoel Romero (13-3)

Romero was not eligible to win a title at UFC 225, but he still delivered a memorable performance in his rematch with Robert Whittaker. Despite landing knockdowns in the third and fifth rounds, “The Soldier of God” lost a heartbreaking split verdict in the June 9 headliner at the United Center in Chicago. After initially being linked to a matchup with Paulo Henrique Costa, Romero was instead scheduled to rematch Ronaldo Souza in the UFC on ESPN 3 headliner in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on April 27. However, the Cuban wrestler was forced to pull out of the contest due to illness. Now, the promotion will attempt to rebook Romero vs. Costa — for a fourth time — at UFC 241 on Aug. 17.

3. Israel Adesanya (17-0)

Adesanya took his lumps against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236, but “The Last Stylebender” pulled away with a spectacular fifth round that included three knockdowns and two submission attempts to claim a hard-fought unanimous verdict. With the victory, the Nigerian-born Kikwi claimed the interim middleweight belt. Adesanya’s unblemished professional record includes other notable triumphs over the likes of Anderson Silva, Derek Brunson and Brad Tavares. A title unification bout with Robert Whittaker will take place at UFC 243 on Oct. 5.

4. Kelvin Gastelum (15-4)

Gastelum certainly had his moments against Israel Adesanya in the UFC 236 co-main event, but it was ultimately “The Last Stylebender” who finished with a flourish to capture the interim middleweight crown in Atlanta. Gastelum struggled at times to navigate the reach and length of his opponent, a reminder that “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner spent much of the earlier part of his career competing at 170 pounds. However, weight issues plagued Gastelum a division below, and his previous success at middleweight – wins over Ronaldo Souza, Michael Bisping, Tim Kennedy and Johnny Hendricks – means he could stick around at 185 pounds.

5. Jack Hermansson (20-4)

A three-fight finishing streak against the likes of David Branch, Gerald Meerschaert and Thales Leites is nice, but a clear-cut unanimous decision over Ronaldo Souza at UFC Fort Lauderdale is the real feather in the cap for Hermansson, who must now be viewed as a contender at 185 pounds. Dating back to 2017, “The Joker” has won six of his last seven bouts – with five of those triumphs coming inside the distance. The surging Swede will next face Jared Cannonier in the UFC Copenhagen main event on Sept. 28.

6. Ronaldo Souza (26-7)

After original foe Yoel Romero withdrew from their scheduled bout at UFC Fight Night 150, Souza was expected to make short work of late replacement Jack Hermansson. Instead, “Jacare” was outstruck – and even outgrappled – en route to losing a five-round unanimous verdict. That may have been the 39-year-old Brazilian’s last real chance at title contention, as he has lost three of his last five Octagon appearances.

7. Rafael Lovato Jr. (10-0)

Lovato Jr.’s tenacious grappling was just enough to give him the nod against Gegard Mousasi, as the Oklahoma City, Okla., resident claimed middleweight gold with a majority verdict over the UFC veteran in the Bellator London headliner. It is by far the most significant victory of Lovato Jr.’s MMA career to date, but given the close nature of the decision, it would not be surprising to see a rematch between the two somewhere down the road.

8. Gegard Mousasi (45-7-2)

Mousasi’s eight-bout winning streak came to an end at Bellator London, where he dropped a majority verdict to grappling specialist Rafael Lovato Jr. in the evening’s headliner. While Mousasi is no longer middleweight champion, he isn’t likely to be far removed from the title picture given his recent resume and the close nature of the decision. The Armenian-born Dutchman will make a relatively quick turnaround when he faces Lyoto Machida in a rematch — “The Dragon” won their first meeting under the UFC banner — at Bellator 228 on Sept. 28.

9. Chris Weidman (14-4)

Madison Square Garden has not been kind to “The All American.” Weidman returned following a lengthy injury-related hiatus at UFC 230, but the result was disappointing, as he suffered a third-round knockout loss to Ronaldo Souza in the evening’s co-main event. The former middleweight champion has now lost four of his last five Octagon appearances, including another brutal knockout loss against Yoel Romero in the UFC’s MSG debut in November 2016. His lone win during that time: a third-round submission of contender Kelvin Gastelum at UFC on Fox 25. The Serra-Longo Fight Team representative is expected to transition to the light heavyweight division for his next Octagon appearance.

10. Jared Cannonier (12-4)

Cannonier unceremoniously dispatched former middleweight king Anderson Silva in the UFC 237 co-main event, rendering “The Spider” unable to walk with an inside leg kick at the end of the opening round. Cannonier didn’t make any new fans in Brazil, but that makes two consecutive wins at middleweight for “The Killa Gorilla,” who also stopped former WSOF two-division king David Branch via TKO at UFC 230. After compiling a 3-4 mark while competing at heavyweight and light heavyweight, Cannonier seems to have found a home a 185 pounds. His next test will be a showdown with Jack Hermansson in the UFC Copenhagen headliner on Sept. 28.

Other Contenders: Paulo Henrique Costa, Ian Heinisch, Antonio Carlos Jr., Derek Brunson, Elias Theodorou

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